The big picture of U.S. food waste• 160 billion pounds each year– Per capita food waste increased 50% since 1974

• Accounts for 19% of landfill waste– 2nd to paper, doubled from 1980 to 2007– In 2008, Pennsylvania received waste from 24 states

and Puerto Rico

• About 40% of available calories are wasted

– From J. Bloom’s American Wasteland

Hunger is a growing problem

• U.S. Hunger Statistics:– 48.8 million Americans in food-insecure

households– 20% of households with children considered food-

insecure by USDA– Nationally, Feeding America food assistance

served 46 million people in 2011, an increase of 25% from 2010

Hunger is a growing problem

• Wisconsin is no different:– Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin

is serving 83% more people than in 2006.– 140,600 individuals served in 2010, 43% of whom

are children– 73% of participating households with children are

food insecure in 2010 survey

The solution is a pile of garbage

• Reducing food waste by 25% could feed 43 million people 3 times a day, and end hunger for 430 million Americans (if we had that many)

• Globally, enough food is produced to feed the 860 million hungry according to the UN-FAO

– From J. Bloom’s American Wasteland

Food waste: agriculture

• Much of agricultural field waste is based on consumer pickiness – size, uniformity and appearance but not taste

• Salinas Valley lettuce example:– 90% of field is harvested, 10% bypassed– Equivalent of 15,300 bypassed acres in 2007– 13 million pounds not harvested

http://youtu.be/kKMVw9zZj-0

Food distribution

• Focus crops:– Potatoes– Carrots– Onions– Snap beans– Sweet corn– Apples

• Well over 1.5 million pounds captured and distributed thus far

Community opportunities: Field to Foodbank

• Current and future program built on local relationships

• Potential new local agricultural partners, processors and handlers

• Much of the captured food is distributed locally, through rural community partners